Hazel Squire, Head of Department Staffordshire Business School
Global Entrepreneurship Week is a collection of tens of thousands of activities, competitions and events aimed at making it easier for anyone, anywhere to start up and scale a company.
This November 16 – 22, as part of GEW 2020 Staffordshire Business School together with Staffordshire University Innovation Enterprise Zone will be hosting a range of activities aimed at both local businesses and students.
As a nation, the impact of COVID-19 means we are all seeking and finding new ways of doing things. In an effort, to build resilience and come together in leveraging the power of new ideas and innovation we will be launching our Innovation Enterprise Zone https://www.staffs.ac.uk/business-services that will give businesses access to:
- Skills development and support
- Researchers, student talent and experts
- Grants and business support programmes
- Innovation infrastructure and incubation facilitates
Announced last year, Staffordshire University was one of 20 University Enterprise Zones (UEZs), launched with a £20 million investment by Research England, part of UK Research and Innovation.
Furthermore, be inspired offers a full year of start-up support including: information, advice and guidance from an experienced team of business advisers, regular meetings with industry mentors of your choice, full business processes induction, industry-led specialist workshop sessions, networking opportunities, access to personal growth software, access to personalised legal documentation, a £3000 tax free grant and, as your idea grows, access to investment opportunities. Information detailing how to access all this help will be provided at the be inspired session on Friday 20th November.
Finally, Enterprise Education has never been more important, as it allows us to equip future generations with the skills and mindsets, they need to navigate a world of work that may not even exist yet. Through entrepreneurship activities, learners can gain key entrepreneurial skills such as critical thinking, problem-solving, communication, risk-taking and teamwork. Entrepreneurship can offer alternative pathways for young people, improving their skills, employability and life chances, while supporting wider economic and social development.
Thus, Enterprise Education is embedded in to all our courses and as part of GEW Staffordshire Business School will be providing a week of challenging enterprise activities working with guest speakers and the be inspired Graduate Start up Programme.
Here is a list of all our free and exciting activities – to book your place use the links provided in the table below:
MONDAY 16TH NOVEMBER
| 10-11am | Being an ethical business: “Street Kids” Presented by Dr Andrew Taylor (Session open to all Staffordshire University students) |
| 11-11.45am | Official Launch of the Innovation Enterprise Zone See details below* (Session open to all) |
| 11-12pm | Improving the Customer Experience Presented by Professor David Collins (Session open to all Staffordshire University students) |
| 2-3pm | Why SMART goals do NOT work! – Goal setting to achieve more in challenging times Presented by David Hyner (Session open to all) |
*Our Innovation Enterprise Zone is one of the only 20 awards around the UK and is embedded at the heart of our campus, IEZ offers unprecedented access to specialist advanced materials, manufacturing and digital facilities, research, student talent and funding to support and accelerate innovation-led growth.
TUESDAY 17TH NOVEMBER
| 11-11.45am | Advanced Materials Incubator & Accelerator Centre See details below* (Session open to all) |
| 1-5pm | Staffs Got Talent! – Innovation challenge |
*Introduction to our new Incubator and Accelerator facility, what it is and how it supports start-ups and SME’s. Delivered by Kelly Bradley. Programme Manager
WEDNESDAY 18TH NOVEMBER
| 10-11am | The Pitch Competition – virtual workshop Presented by Angela Lawrence, Associate Dean (Session for Staffordshire Business School students in Level 5 & 6) |
| 11-11.45am | Advanced Manufacturing Prototyping & Innovation Demonstrator See details below* (Session open to all) |
| 11.30-12pm | Digital Entrepreneurship Research and Practice Fang Zhao, Associate Dean (Session open to all Staffordshire University students) |
*Whether you are looking for research and development advanced manufacturing techniques or process improvement – hear how we can help you succeed! Delivered by Rachel Wood. Programme Manager
THURSDAY 19TH NOVEMBER
*An outline of the programme, benefits of knowledge exchange and how to get involved. Delivered by Marc Wootton. Programme Manager
| 11-11.45am | Digital Innovation Partnerships See details below* (Session open to all) |
| 2-3pm | Meet the Entrepreneurs: Panel with Q&A Jane Pallister, Jonathan Westlake, Emily Whitehead (Session open to all) |
FRIDAY 20th NOVEMBER
| 11-11.45am | Intelligent Mobility Innovation Accelerator See details below* (Session open to all) |
| 2-2.45pm | The Small Business Leadership Programme: Meet the team & overview Professor Jon Fairburn (Session open to all) |
*This webinar is an introduction into our dedicated project SCIMIA and other wide support for businesses, Delivered by: Marek Hornak – Head of Employer Partnerships and Enterprise
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